Teleostei (teleosts) >
Gadiformes (Cods) >
Gaidropsaridae (Rocklings)
Etymology: Gaidropsarus: Greek, ga, ge = the earth + Greek, ydro = water + Greek psaros = speckled, starling (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 20 - 120 m (Ref. 35388). Temperate; 64°N - 34°N, 23°W - 27°E
Northeast Atlantic: from Norway and Iceland south to Gibraltar, including Madeira
and Mediterranean.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1371); common length : 25.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. First dorsal ray followed by a row of small, fleshy filaments. Color is varies from dusky to pale. Fin coloration varies geographically in the Western Atlantic, with southern specimens having more dark blotches than northern ones (Ref. 1371). One barbel on the lower jaw and two on the snout. Large chocolate brown spots on head and body (Ref. 35388).
Found on rocky bottoms but also on mud, sand and gravel. Feed on shrimps, crabs, isopods, small fish, mollusks and polychaetes (Ref. 1371). Spawn during spring and summer in the Mediterranean. Eggs and larvae are pelagic (Ref. 1371).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Cohen, D.M., T. Inada, T. Iwamoto and N. Scialabba, 1990. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 10. Gadiform fishes of the world (Order Gadiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cods, hakes, grenadiers and other gadiform fishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(10). Rome: FAO. 442 p. (Ref. 1371)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 7.1 - 12.6, mean 9.6 °C (based on 254 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5001 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00490 (0.00302 - 0.00794), b=3.01 (2.87 - 3.15), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.5 ±0.4 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tmax=6).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (44 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 42.4 [19.9, 94.9] mg/100g; Iron = 0.375 [0.191, 0.788] mg/100g; Protein = 17.5 [15.7, 19.4] %; Omega3 = 0.356 [0.177, 0.686] g/100g; Selenium = 17.9 [9.2, 38.7] μg/100g; VitaminA = 7.64 [1.68, 31.14] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.497 [0.341, 0.757] mg/100g (wet weight);